Archives for June 2017

The playground at Library Park has reopened. On February 9th, the City of Lakeport closed the park for public safety and to prevent further damage due to the storms that flooded the park. In addition to work on the playgrounds, crews made reparis to walkways, and the sidewalk leading out to the docks. Lake County is among those declared a disaster area from the storms, whcih means costs for the repairs in the city and the park will be covered with funds from the federal government.

A Mendocino County grand jury says the Mendocino Coast Recreation and Parks District is financially irresponsible. The grand jury’s findings state that MCRPD is “habitually delinquent on their capital lease and outstanding loans.” The grand jury also stated that they don’t believe the district, which is currently in Chapter 9 bankruptcy, can continue.

Four people were arrested in Ukiah this week after an altercation in relation to a drug deal. The UPD believes the four men traveled from Oakland to Ukiah to buy marijuana, but a disgreement broke out between the buyers and the seller. There were reports that a gun was brandished, but officers did not find one. They did find about 16 pounds of marijuana and $1,200 cash in the car the men were traveling in.

The California Highway Patrol will begin it’s annual “Maximum Enforcement Period,” today through July 4th. Officers will be out in full force targeting impaired and unsafe drivers on the roadways in Lake and Mendocino Counties and across the state. Last year during the enforcement period around the Fourth of July, the CHP arrested 1,118 motorists statewide on suspicion of DUI. 35 people were killed in collisions investigated by the CHP during that time. 751 people were killed in DUI-related crashes nationwide.

Caltrans is responding to a report that they’ve been giving out the wrong total cost figures for the Willits Bypass Project on Highway 101 in Mendocino County. The news report states that the $300 million cost for the project that Caltrans reported was off by over 50%. In response, Caltrans District Director Matt Brady says they did mistakenly report $300 million as the total cost of the project as part of their opening day ceremony, however that cost only included construction costs, mitigation, etc., which was not the ‘total’ cost. An additional $159 million was spent for support costs including staff and consultants.

The Redwood Credit Union is warning about a scam. They say members are receiving a text message claiming to be from the National Credit Union Administration, which says that your card is being blocked. and provides a number to call, which then prompts you to enter your debit card number. The credit union says this is a fraudulent attempt to gain access to your account. They’ve provided more information online about the scam: www.redwoodcu.org/ask-rcu/article?kbid=4656

This week the Lake County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to support the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. The monument, currently protected under the Antiquities Act, is part of a federal review as a result of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in April. Some designations could be reversed.

Starting next month, yiou won’t face losing your driver’s licence because of unpaid traffic fines. Governor Brown, approved the provision as part of a series of bills he signed this week to enact the state budget. Brown says the punishment doesn’t help the state collect unpaid fines and can send low-income people into a cycle of job losses and more poverty.

Six people were involved in an accident on Highway 101 yesterday, including a Mendocino County Sheriff’s sergeant. The California Highway Patrol reports that an RV rear-ended the sergeant’s unmarked patrol truck on Highway 101 south of Dora Creek. The unmarked police truck was pushed into the back of a 2007 Honda CRV, which was pushed into a 2004 GMC Yukon. Sgt. Smith, and his passenger, who was participating in a a ride-along, sustained moderate injuries. A passenger in the Yukon also had moderate injures. Both Smith and his passenger were treated and released. The Garberville CHP Office is investigating the accident.

The Lakeside Campus in Lucerne of Marymount California University closed its doors without warning last week. According to District 3 Supervisor Jim Steele, no students, faculty, staff, or county officials were notified prior to the closing. No statement has been released about why the University left. Students will have the option to continue their studies either online or at the institution’s Southern California campus in Palos Verdes, which is about 8 hours away. The Board of Supervisors are now deciding what the county should t with the historic Lucerne Hotel, also known as the Castle, which had been leased by the University.